week 6 discussion posts #1-3

On the topic of Chaos and God acting in the World
Discussion posts below altered slightly for the purposes of this blog


Ariella posted up on the discussion board, a link about the Red Sea and the contemporary findings via physics - I find it fascinating how people have the ability to create such mathematical equations and formulae to describe or explain something which people previously believed at face value. And to me this is an example of somebody choosing to believe in the miraculous event, then realising they don't have a logic proof that can be presented to the non-believers, so they go about creating the mathematical proofs that say yes, Moses really did part the Red Sea... albeit with the aid of some freak weather conditions.

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Alex wrote:
"Firstly, everyone knows about the ark of the covenant. Well, the temple of God had three progressively more holy sections, separated by curtains, and if the wrong person were to enter the wrong section, he or she would die."

Firstly, I don't know anything about the Ark of the Covenant, and I think he's being a bit presumptuous in assuming that everybody in this tutorial will have a basic knowledge of the Bible and/or Biblical stories - after all, not everybody is Christian.

Anyways, I did a quick search on Wikipedia* and noted that the Ark was in effect, a big treasure chest of sorts which contained the original 10 Commandments, plus a few other historical mementos - didn't find any further information on the temple and the 3 holy sections within that temple, but will try to keep looking when I have more time :)

*disclaimer: I have difficulty in fully relying on the authority of Wikipedia (I mean, really - random people collaborating facts on a website? ...Well then again, it's not like I know the people who write Britannica or Encarta etc) so whatever I say is quite possibly inaccurate.

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Priyanka for posting these great YouTube links about quantum physics (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfPeprQ7oGc / http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWyTxCsIXE4) - although unlike Genevieve, I think I've been totally spun out by that double slit video - it left my mind reeling, and I loved it!

In further response, I think Priyanka makes a valid point when she writes:
"It is only through the existence of free will that man can be held responsible for his actions, which compliments most religious teachings."

After all, if God was completely in control of the us and the universe, well - where's the purpose in life? I think there's more purpose to life when there is an element of chaos and free will, in comparison to when we have a God who we must follow perfectly and undoubtedly, because then we just become robots - we live a mechanised existence. Trying to push through all the chaos, or making the best use of chaos to make life as vibrant and unexpected as you need it to be, I think that's where the fun and purpose lies. And if you want to believe in God, that's fine too, that's your way of tackling the chaos we live in.

Take for example, Dr. Frankenstein and his creation. Sure, Frankenstein created a (quasi-)human being, but he didn't have complete control over the creature- he had to let it do what it wanted. I think our relation to God is similar; perhaps He doesn't want us to run a-muck (amok?), but if we want to follow Him and praise his Son and His teachings, well, He's not going to stop you.

And the concept of a "caring, loving God", and Ariella's "there are many things which I wonder why He allows" - perhaps He isn't caring or loving in the sense that He strives to protect us from harm. Just to put a different spin on things, maybe He lets us experience war, and terror, and sadness, in order for us to wake up to ourselves, and make us realise how precious life is; for example, who really cares if you're wearing odd socks or if you're having a bad hair day; what's more important is the question- have you done something nice for your family lately?

Rhetorical question of course. What I'm trying to get at, is that maybe He lets us experience the bad times so that we can better appreciate the good times. And to cherish better, the people we grow up with, and learn from, and share joy with. In such a materialistic society/developed world, it's easy to lose focus of what's actually important.